The Gun Girls barely escaped from their last heist, their car rolling into the Bad Lands. The vehicle sputtered to a halt, the fuel gauge reading E. AJ opened the door and started to haul the bags of money. Vinyl helped a hobbled Octavia to stand on her own two hooves. Vinyl popped the trunk and removed a gasoline canister, pouring its contents on the vehicle. Flicking a match, Vinyl tossed it onto the car, the flames spider webbing around it. The trio walked a few hundred thousand feet, a loud explosion being heard off in the distance.
"We need a new car, but first, lodging. And we're not exactly in the best neighborhood either. Be on the lookout, we're not in friendly waters," said AJ.
"Have we ever been?" asked Octavia, panting.
"Good point, but we need to reach Appleloosa. I have contacts there. If we can get there, we can hold up for a few days while your injures heal."
"Who do you know out there besides your cousin?"
"There's lots of my family out there. Throw in my aunt and uncle's business plan out there, and now you got a nice little militia," grinned AJ.
"You mean the Oranges? But they operated in Manehatten," rebuked Octavia.
"They do, sugar cube, they do. However, money talks louder than words. You wouldn't believe what commodity they invested in that city."
"Indulge me."
"Black gold."
"How did they find it?"
"Lucky, I reckon. They drilled at least a few thousand holes before nailing a damn gold mine. They were almost out of money at the point too. I guess lady luck really favors them both."
"Seems coincidental. Too simple, AJ. Oil isn't found that easily."
"Never said it was. They bought over 1,000 acres of land, something was bound to turn up. Took them over 4 years to dig all those holes as well. Never said they found it overnight."
"And they funded it with bootlegging?"
"Bingo, Octavia. With oil and the bootlegging business, they're on their way to being very powerful. We first opened shop in Las Pegasus, and now we have three major junctions. We'll have Las Pegasus, Ponyville, and Manehatten under our control."
"But Manehatten still is under partial control of the Flim Flam brothers."
"True, but with enough pull, we'll be unstoppable. Those two insects will be powerless when we gain full control of the western coastline. With oil and alcohol being our capitol, we'll have money pouring into the political scene. And you know what that means?"
"What?"
"Complete protection. We'll have congress and the senators under our hoof. We'll pay them off with commodities or cold, hard cash. With them in our control, other gangs will have to be absorbed by us... or dissolve and die."
"Sounds like our future is bright," said Vinyl.
"Indeed it is, Vinyl. We just need to secure a few more assets," replied AJ.
"And the Flim Flam brothers?"
"I'll let you two have fun with them in any way your hearts desire."
"You know the way into a mare's heart," chuckled Octavia.
"I do my best. That looks like a hotel. We'll stay there until we can afford transportation," pointed AJ.
"Alright good because I think Tavi here put on a few pounds. Ow!"
Octavia had smacked Vinyl on the snout with her hoof. Vinyl began to snort and shake her head, tears welling up in her eyes. AJ giggled at the lover's quarrel as they approached the front desk and paid for the room for three nights.
Over in Ponyville, Twilight was standing in front of a large podium in the city. The clock had struck noon, a large crowd gathering in front of the mayor's building. Low mumbling and soft banter was spreading through the crowds, the citizens unaware of what was occurring. Big Mac pulled out his pocket watch, a sour smile curling his dry, cracked lips. Five more citizens walked onto the stage, each one more mysterious than the last. Twilight waited until they were in place before announcing why everyone was summoned.
"Attention, citizens of Ponyville! With much debate and thought, the police department and I have decided that it is beneficial to the community as a whole that we emphasize the immediate capture of the Gun Girls. Since they have shown us a first look of how dangerous they can be, we can no longer be passive in this encounter. We must take action. We must protect the citizens of Equestria! As a result, these five brave souls up here will personally see fit to apprehend these criminals. As an added bonus, there is a reward for any information leading to the capture of these girls. And girls... if you're seeing this... we're coming for you. That is all," stated Twilight boldly, her chest puffed out in admiration. Twilight's illuminated face went dark, the cameras' lights stopping their recording session of the brave detective.
"Think this will work? I mean, one is still my sister," asked Big Mac.
"They fired at me. They lit our car on fire. They assaulted the guards of the bank. In my eyes, those girls are dangerous and they must be stopped....by all costs necessary," she grumbled, pulling the brim of her hat down.
"Well... at least tell me the bounty hunters' names we recruited."
"Fine," she sighed. "I'll introduce you to them." Twilight looked over her shoulder to see the five bounty hunters chattering with one another; the occasional chuckle being heard from the group. "The one on the far right is One-Shot. He's the best damn sniper straight out of the Badlands; 30 targets tracked with 29 confirmed kills. The only one he didn't kill was a diplomatic ambassador for the Gryphon Kingdom. He was able to track the ambassador and vanquish her captors. He saved the relationship between Equestria and the Gryphon Kingdom itself."
One-Shot wore an all black trench coat from his neck down to his lower waist. His grey, mattered mane was cut very short near the skull, his ears brushing up against the thin patch of fuzz on his head. On this earth pony's back dangled a long rifle. It hung over his broad shoulder, the weapon firmly attached to a brown strap harness. There were three pouches that were also on the strap, each of its contents still unknown to the populace. To top off his outfit, his belt held a .357 magnum, the barrel of it pointing downwards to the dirt below. This sure fire sniper was one of the finest marksman in all of Equestria.
"To the left of him is Wild Fire. Thanks to her Pegasus wings, she's able to survey the area for reconnaissance and Intel. She's currently teamed up with One-Shot. They make a fantastic duo. It's no wonder that they are among the best hunters I have ever had the pleasure to lay my eyes upon."
The cream colored mare stood next to One-Shot, her brown mane tied up neatly into a bun. She wore a full camouflage outfit, complete with goggles and a mesh helmet, hanging carelessly on her hip. Her forest green cargo pants bore many pockets that held various amounts of ammo and survival gear. Around her waist was a belt with different colored grenades; the light to dark color of them being aesthetically pleasing on the eyes. She was standing straight up, her right hoof twirling a throwing knife as if it was a mere toy.
"To her left is The Solo. No one knows whether it's a mare or stallion. All we know is that they keep that gas mask firmly on their snout, a hood on their head, and their entire outfit is a vast array of coats and miscellaneous garments. I don't know how they track their victims, but I'd rather not find out for myself. And lastly the other duo. These mares are known as The Undertakers; their success rate is at a staggering 98%."
"Who didn't they capture?" asked Big Mac.
"Well, they did catch the culprit. The problem is... what they did to him afterwards is why they didn't get paid."
"Was he supposed to be alive?"
"The deal was alive or dead. They captured their target alive; no easy task mind you. The problem is that they... tortured him. Castration with a red hot fire poker is not exactly a common practice. When the authorities found him... they couldn't recognize his face from all the burn marks. And the crazy thing Big Mac? They just wanted to test out two simple things. One, how much pain can the body endure before going into shock. Two, how much "art" they could create. The entire scene was a disaster and a disgrace to the department. Word of the incident got out and while their work continued, it was from only one source."
The two mares stood side by side to one another, a giant yellow umbrella shielding the both of them from Big Mac's view. Big Mac continued to stare at them, Twilight's following words merely buzzing noises to his ears. The umbrella twirled back and forth, the frays shining in the sunlight. I feel like... I know them thought Big Mac. The umbrella was moved slightly to the left, the two mares identities being revealed. Big Mac's eyes went wide, his blood boiled, and he felt his brow furry. The one mare holding the umbrella wore a brown dress, her cotton candy hair resting gently on the upper part of her back. Her blue eyes complimented her cream complexion. Standing next to her was minty green mare with yellow eyes. She wore a black waistcoat with a white undershirt. She carried on her hip a 6 round revolver, the pistol being tucked inside its holster.
"Are they only known as The Undertakers?" inquired Big Mac.
"No, at one point they were known by a different alias."
"And that is?"
Twilight looked at Big Mac, his body trembling with anger. Twilight hesitated, her heart fleeing into her stomach. "The cream one was known as Bon Bon, and the green mare was known as Lyra Heartstrings."
I'm gonna kill ya. I can't wait to wring out those necks of yours. Wait... Big Mac's body ceased its trembling and began a new one. His eyes started to waver back and forth in his skull, his heart pounding loudly in his ears. If they're the bounty hunters, then....they've gotta be close. Shit, how do I warn AJ? They're planning on taking us all down at once! thought Big Mac.